New CBeebies show set in Northern Ireland stars big names in music
Wet Leg, Maisie Peters & Lauren Laverne feature 👇
Brand new Cbeebies animation Yukee, set in Northern Ireland, is a music-first preschool series created by musicians for the musicians of the future.
Yukee will air on CBeebies weekdays from Monday 5th February, and episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer.
The show is a series about the sheer joy of making a noise with friends and reminds us that ‘music is for everyone’, as well as having themes of community, friendship, and cooperation at its heart.
Yukee offers young audiences a gentle, child-centred introduction to music education and exposes them to simple, yet fundamental musical concepts that will form a strong foundation for lifelong learning and enjoyment of music - beat, rhythm, pitch, tempo, timbre, form, dynamics, expression and style.
Yukee herself is of Northern Ireland and Chinese heritage - and in every episode takes her own beloved red ukulele into a magical garden filled with instrument playing animal friends.
Music adventures are never far away, and song ideas can come from anywhere in the garden - be it the rhythmic pitter patter of raindrops, or a gang of passing ants stomping their tiny feet to a steady beat.
Star guests and stories include:
🎤 Wet Leg who appear as a travelling troupe of snails called The Slime Sisters proving that the most important instrument of all is your voice
🎤 Ezra Collective - who are cast as travelling jazz musicians Ezy and Ray in an episode all about improvisation and taking inspiration from the music unexpected of places
🎤 Maisie Peters who plays a mouse that’s become lost in the garden and needs a musical map to find her way home.
🎤 Lauren Laverne who plays a roving reporter called Roxie Rabbit from what other station but, of course - Sticks Music
The animated series set in Northern Ireland was made by local production company Score Draw Media for CBeebies with funding from Northern Ireland Screen.
Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for BBC Children’s 0-6, said: “Fusing entertainment and education for preschool children across the UK is a key part of our strategy – and there is no better way to do this than through having fun with music!
"Yukee’s world isn’t just about music, it’s also about friendships and connecting with the natural world around her giving a strong foundation for lifelong learning and enjoyment. We’re thrilled to have such amazing musical talent on board and to be collaborating with a brilliant production team in Northern Ireland on this project.”
Mark Gordon, Executive producer at Score Draw, said: “We could not be more delighted to be launching our special pre-school music series Yukee with CBeebies and the BBC. The whole idea of Yukee is to allow very young children, before they pick up an instrument, to be able to gently dip their toes into simple music ideas and concepts.